The Charge

From Lynda La Plante, the creator of Prime Suspect.

Opening Statement

While everyone over here was freaking out about Dennis Franz showing his
bottom on NYPD Blue, they were quietly
airing a pair of police procedurals across the pond that would rank among the
best on telly: Cracker and Prime Suspect. While Cracker
was interesting for being an early show dedicated to forensic psychology as a
means for solving serial crimes, Prime Suspect was arguably the more
radical of the two shows. Starring the wonderful Helen Mirren (before her
late-career resurgence in America) as a policewoman in a department riddled with
sexism, the show was honest about the difficulties of facing women police
officers in a way few had been before or since. So, when a new show proudly
states, "From the creator of Prime Suspect," fans of British
police procedurals should sit up and take notice. That's exactly the case with
Above Suspicion, another police procedural that again follows the
exploits of a police woman. Though there is that superficial similarity, this is
its own show, featuring solid mysteries and an excellent cast. Above
Suspicion: Set 1 collects the first two stories.

Facts of the Case

Detective Constable Anna Travis (Kelly Reilly, Sherlock Holmes), who was riding a desk,
joins a murder investigation squad headed up by DCI Langton (Ciaran Hinds, The Debt). The team investigates a series of
brutal murders that seem to point to a famous actor as the perpetrator. Despite
her inexperience, Travis goes undercover to draw the actor out. Then, a woman is
found murdered in a manner that seems to be mimicking the infamous Black Dahlia
case.

The Evidence

Taken together Prime Suspect and Above Suspicion provide an
interesting index of gender and the police force in Great Britain. In the time
of Prime Suspect, Helen Mirren's DCI Tennison had to prove that she was
as good as any man, tough as nails and a competent detective to boot because
women were not wanted on the police force. By the time of Above Suspicion
almost two decades later, the sexism is much more subdued, and female police
officers are a part of life on the force. What that means is that DC Travis has
to prove herself and face sexism, but she doesn't have to prove she's just like
a man to do it.

This fact gives Kelly Reilly a lot of room to make Anna Travis an
interesting character. Initially, she gets to play the inexperienced card,
puking at crime scenes and wearing the wrong shoes. Slowly, however, Reilly gets
to show Travis coming out of her shell, demonstrating her competence. It's a
plum role for an actress who deserves more exposure than playing Watson's wife
in the American film versions of Sherlock
Holmes. She's well-matched with Ciaran Hinds, who plays a middle-aged copper
who's competent and more than a little interested in Travis. Hinds is a bit
inscrutable, pushing Travis but also tender with her. The interactions between
these two really ground the show and help it rise about its mystery plots.

The mysteries themselves are fairly compelling. They both take a few twists
and turns before the killer is revealed/caught, and like many UK police shows,
the interactions between the investigators are as compelling as the mysteries.
With that said, having almost two hours per story gives the narrative a little
room to meander, generating tension without really resorting to red herrings.
The stories also aren't afraid to confront the sexism that Travis faces, like
when the first episode has her confront a former dirty cop who dismisses her
until she proves herself worthy.

Above Suspicion: Set 1 offers up a decent package. Each story gets
its own disc, leaving plenty of room for extras and a solid technical
presentation. The show has a slightly washed-out, gritty look to it, and that's
well-represented here. The look, especially during night scenes, is especially
degraded. It's a perfectly watchable set of standard definition 1.78:1
anamorphic widescreen transfers, but there's a bit of blocking and noise during
some of the darker scenes. I don't get the sense the series has the most lavish
budget, so this is probably as good as they're going to look. The Dolby 2.0
Stereo audio does a fine job balancing clean dialogue and the show's use of
music and effects. There are subtitles for those who have difficulty with
British accents.

Extras are spread over both discs. Disc One serves up a filmography for the
cast, a biography of series writer Lynda La Plante, and a short photo gallery.
Next up is a short interview with La Plante, and a two part making-of that
combines interview with cast and crew with some production footage. Disc Two
starts out with a photo gallery and a pair of featurettes on making the dummy of
the Red Dahlia and adapting La Plante's novel for TV. The disc rounds out with
five interviews cover the producer, director, creator, cast, and guest artists
for the show. Overall there's a good mix of information and fun in these
supplements, and they give a strong idea of the show's background.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

Though the acting is good and the mysteries are solid, Above Suspicion
can feel a bit rote at times. There's definite potential (and I haven't seen the
other episodes yet), but the show is missing that immediate spark that says,
"This one's going to be a hit." I certainly want to see more, but I
can see how some viewers might get a "been there, done that" vibe from
the show.

It's also made for British TV, which has different standards from America.
If these episodes were released theatrically, they'd be R-rated. There's
cursing, nudity, and a decent amount of gore and violence. It's not crazy or
excessive, but those looking for a standard American police show will be
surprised.

Closing Statement

Above Suspicion is a solid UK police thriller; a decent premise, fine
mysteries, and an excellent cast. These two first episodes are compelling, and
technical presentation strong enough to merit a recommendation. The decent
collection of extras is icing on the cake.